DNA 3D printed shoe (concept) built for the way you move

May.10, 2013

Shoes should be built with our individual anatomy and biomechanics as the foundation. Seattle based designer Pensar believes that footwear will be crafted with form, materials and colors fully mapped to our individual style and activity. Her newest concept "DNA 3D printed shoe" leverages 3D printing to create a shoe built not only to your foot contours, but also to how you move.

By pairing data acquisition, user behavior, and rapid prototyping it creates a method of mass-tailoring products.

First of all you put on a pair of training shoes with pressure sensors and accelerometers and go for a test run. When you come back to the store, your data can be uploaded and the system analyzes your biomechanics and generates a series of algorithms to develop a shoe that fits the way your body moves. "Pushing the algorithms further will allow the computer to design a shoe that improves your running form or compensates for imbalances." notes Pensar.

After the computer crunches the data, you'll modify the aesthetics, and the 3D printer can start to build your shoe. Within hours you have a shoe tailored to your foot, your movement, and your style. The form and functional possiblities are endless. Pensar explains.